Live and Let Die: Book One
by Rogue Almighty
Summary: Hermione Granger has a terrible shock over the summer. She finds out terrible things that are meant to never be found. Will she be able to save herself from the Dark Lord and the Greedy hatred of a Pureblood scum? Only time will tell...
1. Default Chapter

LIVE AND LET DIE  
CHAPTER 1:  
  
HERMIONE'S SUMMER SHOCK  
  
Info before we start: Summary: Hermione Granger has a terrible shock over the summer. She finds out terrible things that are meant to never be found. Will she be able to save herself from the Dark Lord and the Greedy hatred of a Pureblood scum? Only time will tell...  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing. That woman, J.K. Rowling stole it all from me one day when we were dumpster diving together. Now she's laughing at me in her big mansion. Well, I'll show her....  
  
Rating: Strong R, graphic rape scene, and more....  
  
Begin Story:::  
  
Hermione Granger walked slowly through the streets of Liverpool. Clothed in regular muggle clothes, she did not look out of place in this muggle town, except for the fact that it was 1 in the morning. But she did not seem to notice. Keeping her head down, she seemed to walk aimlessly, willing the horrific images of earlier that night out of her mind. She wanted nothing more than to forget that entire night.  
  
She shuddered and choked back a sob. 'Why?' she demanded in her mind, all the while keeping up her steady wandering, 'Why did this happen to me? All I wanted was to be a normal girl for a night, to have fun for once. Dammit! Damn him!'  
  
Unbeknownst to her, a dark shadow crept behind her, waiting for the perfect moment to destroy this once pure, fragile soul, now torn a cinders by the many ravages of war, and more, so much more...  
  
Hermione decided in her mental state that she had to go home, as it was very late and her parents would be worried and angry that their 17-year- old daughter had been at a club till 1 a.m. She herself and no idea where that thought came from. Since she had left the club 2 hours earlier, she hadn't even given a thought to her parents. It had appeared in her head as if an outside force had forced it in.  
  
Shaking her head, trying to clear it, she pulled out her wand and lazily summoned the Knight Bus. Stepping in after it came to a screeching stop, Hermione gave the drive, Ernie, her address and the 11 sickles the ride cost, and went to sit on one of the many beds. While the bus started again with a bang, she stared distractedly out the window.  
  
~  
  
The dark presence smiled wickedly. It had been he who had forced the thought of returning home into her head. He just couldn't wait for her to "receive" his little "presents." His evil smile widened. He couldn't wait to see her life fall apart before her own eyes...  
  
~  
  
Hermione fumbled with her keys at her front door. She didn't know why her parents had locked up the door. They should have known to leave it open, on account of the fact that she had been planning on coming home that night. Plus, from, the looks of the light on in the sitting room, they were still up, prepared to lecture her to no end. Finally succeeding in finding the correct key and unlocking the door, she opened it, fully prepared to meet her parents head on.  
  
"Mum, Da, I know I was out late, but I can-," she stopped short with a gasp of barely contained terror at the site that greeted her.  
  
Before her lay, in a neat little row, the headless bodies of her parents, her older sister, her brother-in-law, and her little five-year-old niece. Behind the bodies and flood of blood covering the floor, was another neat row. This one was of poles, each with a head on it. The middle one, however, was empty. She shivered at what that may mean.  
  
Taking in short, sharp breathes; she took in the whole room. The walls were splashed with the combined bloods of her family; making it obvious they had each been killed execution style. All around the room, the walls were painted with swastikas and the Dark Mark, some painted with blood, other with paint or some other substance. Hermione closed her eyes tightly, willing herself to wake up in her bed and have this all be a dream. But to no avail, when she opened her eyes, she was forced to read the note left for her, written in her loved one's blood. It read:  
  
Here you go, you little Mudblood Bitch. You've finally gotten what you have  
always deserved. Soon, your life will crumble and you will be mine.  
IT HAS BEGUN.  
  
Hermione collapsed to the floor, sobs wracking her body mercilessly. She swore vicious revenge on whoever had done this. She would torture them cruelly, and slowly, dedicating their torture to Mum, Da, Jenny, Danny, and Amy. When she was through with them, they would wish they had never been born...  
  
*Earlier that evening*  
  
"Bye! I'll owl you tomorrow, ok? See ya, guys!" Hermione Granger waved cheerfully to her two best friends, Ron and Harry, and she left their favorite nightclub. It had been fun, just the three of them, hanging out. Since the war had started again, and Sirius had died, they had devoted most of, if not all, of their energy to the war effort. Unfortunately, this would probably be the last get together for them for a very long time, seeing as Voldemort was still at large and had sworn revenge against the "Golden Trio." She was jolted, however, from her thoughts by a cold, drawling voice behind her.  
  
"Hey, Granger. Fancy seeing you without Potty and Weasel." Hermione turned sharply, to face none other than Draco Malfoy himself. Determined not to lose her cool in front of him, she bit out a scathing remark.  
  
"Last I checked, Malfoy, you were the only little furry creature at school, or wasn't I informed of my friend's transformation?" His eyes flashing dangerously, he rushed her, pressing her body roughly against the wall of a nearby building she had been standing by.  
  
"Watch your mouth, Mudblood, or I'll make you regret that comment." Malfoy promised, gripping her neck tightly. When her only reply was spitting in his face, he grew angry and decided to teach her a lesson.  
  
He slammed her against the wall, making her dizzy and breathless. Using this to his advantage, Malfoy reached a hand up her shirt and grabbed her right breast, and squeezed hard, drawing blood from where his nails had dug in. She whimpered in response (her mind couldn't function enough for her to do more) and squirmed, trying to get away. But he held firm. He moved his hand to her other breast and administered to it the same treatment.  
  
After growing bored with her chest, he moved lower. Malfoy reached his hands between her legs and pinched her clit, drawing a shriek from her. She tried to get away with more earnest, terrified of the inevitable she saw in his eyes. Malfoy backhanded her lazily for this, as though he had done this thousands of times before.  
  
Suddenly, and without warning, he ripped her panties. Hermione screamed horribly at this, which made him angry. He slammed her head against the wall, hard. Left in a daze, she did not notice when he lowered his trousers, or boxers. In fact, she did not notice anything until he slammed into her roughly, tearing her virginity away painfully with his unwanted entry.  
  
Grunting a little, he worked himself in and out of her a few more times. Soon, he shuddered and released his seed within her. Taking a few moments to gather himself, Malfoy quickly regained his composure and threw the sobbing and shaking girl to the ground.  
  
With a, "Filthy, Mudblood Whore," he was gone, leaving Hermione behind to collect herself and proceed on home.  
  
~  
  
He smirked. She was a fine, fine woman. Beautiful, smart, and independent. All that was needed in the foreseen future Dark Queen. Oh, yes. She would be his, he'd make sure of it.  
  
"M'lord?" Came a soft, timid voice from the door. "M'lord" turned and nodded at the small man before him, motioning for him to continue. "M'lord, the potion is finished. We are ready for you now." The master of the house smiled a cruel smile and nodded for the man to leave his presence. The man did, leaving "M'lord" alone yet again.  
  
The potion they spoke of was a very old, very dark one. It would transform his body into the 20-year-old counterpart. And what was more, he would be just as powerful and strong as he was at that very moment, nothing would change. Once this little ceremony was complete, all he would have to do would be to remove the...."roadblocks" that kept Hermione from him. But soon..........yes, very soon, she would be his.....  
  
*  
  
A/N: How was it? The next chapter (hopefully) will explain more and be up within the next week or two. I feel this is my most promising story yet, and all the characters are still in character!! Yes! Score for me! Anywho, who is "M'lord"? What does he want with Hermione? You'll find out in the next chapter of...  
  
LIVE AND LET DIE 


	2. continued

Hermione sat, crying on the floor of her living room. She couldn't seem to find it in her to stand up and take care of her loved ones. Instead she sat there, gazing at their bodies and sitting in their combined blood, finding it impossible to stand up.

IN a dark chamber, far beneath the earth's surface, chanting could be heard. There was a circle of hooded men, chanting loudly. In the center of that circle was a rock table. Lying on that table was an unconscious man.

The chanting grew louder, and soon a bright green light enveloped the man. The circle of men stared at the man, each with a scared stance. It was obvious they all wished to run, but knew if they did, the spell wouldn't be complete, and their master would punish them severely for it.

The light disappeared and in place of the man now lay a handsome young man. He opened his eyes and looked around him at his followers with a satisfied look on his face. He sat up and jumped off the table, just as the doors to the chamber burst open, revealing two guards pulling a rather scared looking Draco Malfoy behind them.

"Well, what is it? Why do you bring this worm to me?" The young man snarled at the guards, glaring down at the quivering 'worm'.

"M'lord, we f-f-found him wandering the streets of London, b-b-boasting that he had raped Hermione Granger. W-w-we thought you would wish to see him, to punish him for this o-o-obvious disregard for your orders, sir." Stuttered one of the guards. The other nodded quickly and shoved the terrified young man to the ground in front of their lord. Tom Riddle looked down at him and smiled cruelly.

"Is this true, young Malfoy? Well, here I was thinking I made myself _quite _clear that Hermione Granger was not to be touched. That she was **mine, **as was foreseen. To be my Dark Queen, and you have _polluted _her with your unworthy hands? That is a high form of treason and for it, you will be given the highest form of punishment." He raised his wand and pointed it at Malfoy, before stopping with a thoughtful look on his face. "However, now that she has been raped and has discovered her family murdered in their home, she will need comfort, and will be more susceptible to me. Since you have done this favor unwittingly to me, I shall be lenient. You will only have to endure a minute of the Cruciatus Curse. Crucio!"

Draco Malfoy's agonized screams could be heard long after the curse had been lifted.

The next morning, Hermione woke to find herself laying in the pool of blood still. She moaned and sat up, hoping she was imagining it all. But it was not to happen. She looked around her and shuddered. Her family was slaughtered because of her, and now there was nowhere for her to go. The second the neighbors came to investigate, she'd become a suspect, and if they chose to lock her up "just to be safe", they'd be doing the Dark Lord a favor. She would be a sitting duck for him. As she tried to stand up, she found she was sore everywhere, which brought back more unwanted memories from the night before.

Hermione tried to think of where she could go. After her seventh year, Grimmauld Place had become vacant, as it was too well known of a place among the Pureblood families. Hogwarts was out of the question, as the protection spells on the grounds were so incredibly powerful, that anyone who came near it immediately collapsed in pain. Harry and Ron were at the Burrow, along with most of the Weasley family. She couldn't go there, as Arthur was now the Minister of Magic, and Hermione wasn't willing to give Voldemort the chance to get rid of him and her at the same time.

No, Hermione concluded, there wasn't any place in the wizarding world she could go. But in the muggle world, there were plenty of place to hide. After all, nineteen-year-old girls were common to see traveling alone throughout the world. So it was decided. She would find a way to a rather non-magical country, where she would stay till word reached her of Voldemort's demise.

After she had decided this, and had finally managed to stand, she heard the front door open behind her, and the accompanying gasp of the visitor. She turned to see a rather handsome young man, with jet-black hair and dazzling black eyes. He rushed to grab her as her legs gave out and she fell towards the floor again.

"Are you all right? Is this your house?" He asked, a concerned air about him. She nodded dazedly as he helped her to remain standing. He looked at her curiously and spoke again. "What happened here? Who are theses people, and who did this?" She tried to answer, but her throat felt swollen from her tears and scream from the night before. He seemed to sense her trouble and led her out of the house. "How about we get you washed up and changed? And maybe a warm meal in your stomach. Then maybe you'll be able to help answer some of my questions." He started walking down the pathway, leading away from her house, giving her support she desperately needed.

He led her through muggle London to an apartment building, leading her to a rather nice looking flat on the third floor. After showing her around the flat, he led her to the bathroom, and told her to take a shower while he asked one of his neighbors for clothes she could wear. Shutting the door behind her, Hermione leaned against it and slid down to the floor. She shut her eyes and tried to pretend none of this was happening. But since it didn't work (sadly) and turn her reality into just a simple dream, she stood up and turned on the water for her shower.

After her shower, as she sat snuggled into a large, fluffy white towel, waiting for the mysterious stranger to return with clothes, she wondered about who he was. Which led to her wondering who _she _was. After all, if was NOT common for Hermione Granger to just go off with a complete stranger, letting herself be put completely at their mercy. The only excuse she could come up with for her actions was the complete shock of the day before. She had just been so shocked and distracted, she wasn't thinking straight when he offered her a shower and clothes. She sighed at stood up, looking at herself in the mirror.

Hermione realized that her mind wouldn't give her a moments rest about the day before, unless she distracted herself. So she did that. She began trying to decide who this man was that had rescued her. He looked about her age and looked so _familiar, _but she couldn't place him. From the looks of his flat, he was most likely a muggle, or a wizard who left the wizarding world for good. There wasn't one single magical thing in the entire place to lead her to believe he was a wizard. And that put her at ease, because if he wasn't a wizard, chances were, he'd never heard of her, and she was safe.

_For now. _

Hermione slammed her palms flat on the counter in frustration. How she hated that little voice of reason that always had to make her on edge, whispering those little reminders that she was never safe.

Her feud with herself was interrupted be rapping on the bathroom door. She cracked it open to show the rather sheepish looking young man who had helped her.

"Sorry it took so long. This building has mostly males in it, and the females I found kept trying to give me clothes that would fit me. It wasn't till the third woman tried it that I realized what they thought. Here," he handed her a pile of clothes, "I think I got the right size, or there about for you. It's kinda hard when the person isn't there. When you get them on, come on out and we can eat and you can tell me what happened in that house last night." She nodded and quickly shut the door in his face. Not realizing till after the fact how rude that must have seemed. But judging from the rumble of laughter she heard on the other side of the door, he hadn't seen it as offensive.

Tom smiled wickedly as he walked briskly from the bathroom door t the kitchen, where he apparated quickly to the kitchen of a nearby Death Eater's mansion, where the house elves had the food he had ordered them to make ready and waiting for him. He quickly brought it back to the flat he had rented and set it on the table to await Hermione.

Everything was going according to plan. She was accepting his help without reserve, from what he could see, and was too jittery at the moment to question it too much. Now, he thought, she was putty in his hands, waiting for him to mold her into his future Dark Queen.

Tom quickly went over his story in his head when he heard the door to the bathroom open slowly, and turned to see Hermione walk hesitantly out to the kitchen. She watched him with the caution she would pay a deadly snake in her bed.

Now, that would do at all, Tom thought. He was supposed to have her ready and willing to depend on his help, without question or reserve. But too bad. It was just a little extra work for him, nothing to be afraid of.

"Hello, my dear, why don't you sit and eat? When you are finished we can talk." She nodded and looked at him questioningly when he moved to leave the room. "Don't worry, I've already eaten, and I was just going to go and watch a little telly while you finish eating." Personally, he despised the muggle form of entertainment, but the story worked well on her, so he was going to stick to it. It was very important for him to appear like a clueless (but good!) muggle Samaritan.

Tom sat on one of the comfy couches he had ordered and clicked on the television. Since he had to keep it on for appearances sake, he cast a quick spell to warn him when she was finished eating and pulled out a good book to read. It was, in his opinion, a must-have for every Death Eater library. It detail some of the finest forms of torture that got the job done but left no physical or magical marks, so it was nigh impossible to prove it had been done to the victim.

About ten minutes after he started reading, the spell alerted him to Hermione finishing her meal, and he quickly sent the book back to his mansion via a highly complex spell he had picked up somewhere.

When Hermione finished eating, she cleaned up the mess she had made on the table and slowly entered the sitting room of the flat. The stranger sat in a couch, his back to her, watching a TV show that looked quite dull, but he seemed quite interested. When he heard her enter, he turned and a smile came to his face and he motioned for her to sit down next to him on the couch.

"Now," he said. "that you are fed and clean, why don't you tell me your name, and what you know of what happened back at your house."

And Hermione told him. If her hoarse voice, she told him everything that had happened. Omitting, of course, any magic related subject. She didn't know why, but she told him everything that had happened since she left the club, including her run in with Draco Malfoy. Something about this man made her feel like she could trust him with anything. But her little voice of reason made her refrain from anything magic, just in case.

When she was finished, she looked at him and saw his sympathetic look. Of course he was sympathetic. The story she had just told was one of heartbreak and tragedy. Something no one was ever to go through. But she felt better, slightly, for getting it off her chest and looked to him again.

"Well, now, do you feel better?" At her nod he smiled and continued. "We're going to have to find you some clothes and a place to stay then, aren't we? At least till the culprits behind this travesty are brought to justice." He turned to lead her out of the flat when her feeble voice stopped him.

"Excuse me, but I'm afraid I don't know your name. Would you mind telling me?" she asked, and immediately flushed when he turned to her with a shocked look on his face.

"I cannot believe I forgot to tell you. How silly of me. My name, Ms. Granger, is Tom Riddle."

OK! Before anyone tries to kill me, I'm sorry for the really long delay. I've had absolutely no inspiration to continue this story after some recent drama in my life.

But I've continued it and am really willing to keep it coming this summer since it appears I don't have anything else to do but write and play softball.

I know this is a small chapter, but it's the best I could do for a day. I'm already thinking over the next chapter and am seriously hoping to have it up by the end of July. It might not happen, however, so do hold your breath.

Please review, and if you have any ideas or criticism for me, please include that. And I'm looking for actual reviews, people, not "OMG This story totally rox!" reviews. They truly offend me. Not to be rude, but I get the feeling that people don't actually read the stories when they just sign that. And I admit, I have been guilty of those quick little reviews, but I've learned my lesson and hope others will too.

In the next chapter, I'll hopefully get to all the reviewers.

Ciao!

Shelby


	3. I told you I'd update!

**TO MY REVIEWERS:**

Yes, I am finally given you the respect and entitlement you deserve. Except Mandy. Love you anyways!

**A Perfect Lie: **Thanks for the suggestion. And thank GOD some one felt they were in character. It's hard to keep it so when something so…horrific is about to happen to the characters. Hopefully, by the end of the story, you'll still be saying that.

**Somebody Special: **I'm glad you liked it, and thanks for the ideas? I left out an age purposely till the second chapter, just to keep the details vague for a little more time.

**A Loving Reader I Love All Of: **Um, thanks? As much as your….enthusiasm toward my fanfiction is appreciated, I hope next time you'll tone it down a little, and perhaps actually write a review, not just "OMG OMG OMG" Please don't take this insultingly, I only mean this in good fun, and the good favor of grammar. Thanks for the review anyways!

**Bassistwriterchick: **Thanks.

ALL RIGHT! NOW ON TO THE STORY. And please remember to click that lovely blue button on the bottom left of the screen. I do LOVE getting reviews.

Also, TO ALL FLAMERS.

If you have something cruel to say, and you can't seem to find a way to say it politely, please email it straight to me, instead of forcing me to go through the process of deleting your review. I understand everyone has a point of view, so lets have a polite debate, shall we, instead of "**ur storie sux. Remove it now and go die**" and I have seen before. I find no one really takes that seriously, so unless you want to be laughed at and mocked, don't review like that. Thanks.

QUICK TRANSLATION FO RLATER FRENCH:

A bientot: See you later.

CHAPTER 3 

Hermione gasped and backed away from him, knocking into, and onto, the couch. Tom stepped toward her, a concerned look on his face.

"Ms. Granger? Are you quite all right?" Hermione nodded mutely, but wouldn't let him help her up. In fact, she wouldn't let him within 5 feet of her.

"I, um, think I'm all right. I have f-f-family nearby I can stay with, so you don't have to take care of me. Really." He smiled at her, a smile that Hermione felt was rather scary, and walked toward her slowly, causing her to back up against the wall. He stopped about a foot away from her.

"Nonsense! I can't imagine leaving you to fend for yourself. But, may I ask, why the change of heart? Why did you, upon hearing my name decide you didn't need my help after all?" Hermione gulped and looked at the ground. She knew that no matter what lie she tried to force out, he'd see through it. But then, she realized, there was also the possibility that he wasn't even the Tom Riddle she thought he was. And the only way to find out who he was, was to, well, ask.

"U-u-um, well, you see, this may sound rather odd, but the man behind the attack against my family, well, the man I _believe _is behind the attack, is named Tom Riddle. Tom Marvolo Riddle, to be precise. And I just find it peculiar that the stranger to come to my aid happens to have the same name." She looked up at him quickly and saw the shock and horror in his eyes. The horror she misconstrued to his horror at being accused of killing her family. She rushed to explain. "Please, don't take disrespect from this incident. I never meant to accuse you of doing it, I just…." She trailed off and looked to the ground again.

Tom was mulling this scenario over in his brain. He had never anticipated that she would know his birth name. True she was a friend of the Great Harry Potter, so chances were he'd told her, but he had never fathomed…. Tom knocked himself out of his oddball train of thought. He needed to come up with a quick plan of action. He could play this.

"Well, it appears that, well, that this man IS me, then. You see, I haven't been completely honest with you, my dear. A few years ago, I appeared just down this street, seemingly from thin air. Before that, I was attending a school in the year 1942 and 15 years old. I'm afraid that I was completely disoriented until very recently, when I managed to secure a job for myself, and this lovely flat. But…I never thought it was possible for me to become such a horrible, horrible, creature in the future." Tom looked close to tears, and he gave himself credit. 'Hmm,' he thought, ''Perhaps I should have become an actor.'

Hermione immediately felt guilty when he lowered his head, tears in his eyes. She found it quite obvious, now at least, that he had no clue whatsoever as to what had happened, outside of what she had told him. She reached out her hand and grasped his, squeezing it in a reassuring manner. Tom smiled slightly to her, took a shuddering breath and stood up straight again.

"All right, well I must be going now, really. I have to find you a place to stay after all, and clothes. If you could give me your sizes, I can go and purchase some clothes for you." Tom saw her nod and turned to walk out of the apartment. "3, 2, 1" he whispered.

"Wait!" Hermione called out. She rushed toward him, and when he turned she flushed. "Um, well, would it be easier if I just stayed here? Then you don't need to trouble some one else with me. That is, I mean, if you don't mind…." She trailed off and blushed the same color as the Weasley family hair. Tom smiled a rather malicious smile and reached out, pulling her into his arms. She was shocked at the sudden contact, but didn't try to move away.

"Well, my dear, that is an idea. You shall stay here, but now I am afraid I must go get some clothes for you. What size did you say you were?" Hermione stuttered the number and he smiled down at her yet again. "Well, then, I must be off. A bientot, dear Hermione." And with a light kiss on her lips that left her stunned, he turned and exited the flat.

Tom Riddle stalked into the Malfoy Manor, a vicious smirk on his face. He was very pleased with the results he had gotten. After all, what evil, psychotic snake man wouldn't like that he had a beautiful, extremely powerful witch begging him to allow her to stay with him? Now that he had her where he needed her, all he needed was a status report from his good little Death Eaters.

He strode quickly into the front room of the most ancient manor and watched as the Malfoy family assembled in front of him. After all three were there, he turned to Narcissa.

"Madame Malfoy, I will be needing some clothing for my guest. I am afraid my clothes wouldn't really be up to par for a young lady of today. Here," He handed her a pouch of coins, "use that to find some clothing for Ms. Granger. And make sure they'd fit her. There's a slip of parchment in there with her measurements on it. Do _not fail me."_

She nodded and slipped from the room. Tom turned to Lucius next. "I need you to arrange for house elves to come to my flat and prepare food for us. Do you know of any that can be stealthy enough not to hint to their existence?" Lucius nodded. "Good, go, inform them of their new task, and have them ready to prepare this meal when I summon them" He handed Lucius a sheet of parchment, and then, he too, left the room. Now Tom turned to young Draco. He smiled cruelly. He liked how he made the young man quiver in fear.

"Roll up your sleeve, boy." Draco did so, and Tom reached out and slid his finger down the Dark Mark marring Draco's upper arm. Draco screamed in pain as a red-hot sensation seized his arm. Finally, after what seemed like eternity to Draco, Tom removed his hand and they turned to wait for the Death Eaters to start arriving. They didn't have long to wait.

First to arrive was Severus Snape, who knelt before his lord and kissed the hem of his robes. Tom fondly placed his hand on the head of his most loyal follower. After all, Severus had in fact been the one to inform him of Hermione's existence. If it hadn't been for him, he would have possibly never met her and realized her for what she was: the future Dark Lady.

After that, one by one they all appeared, each kissing his robe then taking his or her place in his circle. The only four missing were Lucius, Narcissa, Wormtail, and Bellatrix. All of them, however, where excused, as Wormtail had recently been murdered during his stay at Azkaban, and the other three were on missions set for them by him. He faced them and, smiling again, addressed them.

"My dear Death Eaters. I suppose you are wondering why I called you all here. Well, my answer to that is this: the usual. I need all new information, anything I could possibly need. I will be out of contact with you all for quite sometime. My new little hobby is rather…..time consuming." He grinned evilly, "But, however, if something life threatening to us comes up within the next two weeks, give the information to Lucius and he shall make sure I receive it. Is that clear? Excellent. Now, make your reports quick: I have some one waiting for me at home."

First to step forward was Haden Mathews, a rather unknown death eater who had been recruited only months ago. He cleared his throat. "My Lord. The muggle you gave us, the on whose flat you commandeered? He died this morning, right after screaming that Dumbledore and the Order of The Phoenix would save him. What do you think that means, My Lord?" Tom looked thoughtful at this new tidbit. So they had even planted muggles with the knowledge of their world. Dumbledore really was getting desperate.

"Good, good. Tell me if any of the other muggles do something similar to that." He turned to the rest of the death eaters and listened to their "reports". Most of them, however, were just some facts picked up from gossips on the street, in other words? Not important. This drivel continued for an hour, till Narcissa returned with the clothing he ordered and he took his leave.

Back at the flat, Hermione sat on one of the couches –which were indeed as comfortable as she thought they would be- and flipped through the channels on the tube. She was rather antsy and was on her last nerve, waiting for Tom to come home. At that thought, she stopped herself. 'Snap out of it, Hermione,' she thought, 'this isn't home. You don't have a home anymore. Get used to it.'

She sighed and laid down flat on the couch, staring at the ceiling. Frankly, she didn't know why she was still here. Despite the impressive performance he gave, she didn't know for sure yet that he wasn't Lord Voldemort yet. He might be using her, using her as bait for Harry. She bolted up at the thought. Of course…. No wonder he wanted her to stay here, it made perfect sense. Keep her here, make her feel welcome, then BOOM! One day she'd find herself strapped to a pull, bait for Harry to come to his doom. Oh, how stupid she'd been! She hit herself in the head with a nearby pillow.

How could she have fallen for this trap? She had to get out of here before he returned, before he had the chance to seal her in here. Hermione stood up and went to where her clothes lay in a neat pile. She searched the pockets and was relieved to find her wand still intact and safe. Of course, she couldn't use it till she could have it tested, just to be safe. But she felt much better having it with her.

Hermione turned toward the door, and had taken but two steps when it opened. Tom walked in, whistling softly and carrying a bag full of clothing, shoes and other such things. He smiled when he saw her.

The only thing Hermione could think when she saw him was how his face shown and he smiled. 'NO!' she thought desperately. 'The Dark Lord is not cute! He is evil! He ordered the deaths of my family members!'

Tom seemed to notice her inner dilemma, so he walked over to her and, with his smile still firmly in place, wrapped his arms around her. He looked down at her and noticed her shock. He quickly let go.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bother you. I-I just thought…" Tom was very impressed with himself. Never, in all his life, had he ever stuttered, yet here he was, stuttering like a master, like that fool, Quirrell. He quickly dispelled the thought. For all he knew, she was a closet Occlumency Master and would pick up rather unsavory thoughts of his without trying. Hermione smiled to him.

"It's all right, Mr. Riddle. It's quite all right. I just wasn't expecting it." She internally sighed and decided that she was probably being paranoid. After all, you couldn't feign that sort of insecurity, could you? But just to be safe, she'd keep an eye on him, and the first sign of trouble, she'd be out of there.

"Good." Tom said, moving toward the kitchen. "Then while I make dinner, why don't you go through the bag and find some clothes to wear. I also got makeup and other things you might need or want while you are here." He didn't need to say what, as when she looked in the bag at all the goodies, she squealed hugged him and ran off toward the bathroom to change. Tom smirked. He knew she'd like it, and was glad his plan was working. Now he'd have time to have the house elves make the dinner and then he would continue this game of cat and mouse. He knew that the more muggle he appeared to live, the more she would learn to trust him. He have the house elves leaves the dishes in the sink and on the stove, then after dinner, he do the dishes. Perhaps she'd offer to help and they could bond over that foolish muggle tradition.

OK, that's chapter 3. See? I got it up when I promised to! Lol, now you know what to do:

REVIEW! Heh…that rhymed….


	4. Chapter 4

**You know, I was so close to having a completely Dumbledore free story. And I'm sorry for this, but I have some spoilers I need to use quickly. For those of you who haven't read the 6th book, do not highlight the area under this. Otherwise, do so.**

**I cannot believe I didn't keep it Dumbledore free! I really wish I had, but now I have to go back and omit his name the whole twice it's mentioned. It really sucks, but at least I got close to not mentioning him at all. I deserve a medal!**

**Anyway, I think I set a new personal record! That's right, I finished HP 6 in my personal record time of 6 ½ hours with breaks for food and such. That's right, I, Rogue Almighty, finished 652 pages in (technically, if you omit the food and bathroom breaks) just under 6 hours. W00t.**

**Also, to my reviewers:**

**?: Thanks bunches. But since you are anonymous, no cookie for you. Love you anyways.**

**CareBearErin- I love you. Seriously. You are my reviewer for the last chapter, so you get a cookie.**

**on with the story.**

Hermione couldn't believe all the wonders he had gotten for her. There were the obvious needs: clothes, shoes, underwear, but then he went above and beyond the call. He had even thought of getting her tampons. The thought of him shopping for those was enough to make her blush. But apart from that, he'd even gotten some, well, some more 'frivolous' things. Such as: simple makeup, hair ties, a brush, comb, skins creams, and some books. Among the books was one of her own personal favorites: Hogwarts, A History. The books were of all different types. There were muggle books (on literature, philosophy, etc), and books on magic.

How he had thought of all these things, she would never know. But she was thankful for it. Hermione took a good hour pampering herself with the new items she had received. 'So sue me,' she thought as she exited the bathroom, 'I'm a girly girl at heart. Whoever said bookworms couldn't be?' Before returning to the kitchen, she went into the bedroom that Tom has proclaimed hers for as long as she was staying there.

The room was richly decorated. In one corner, facing the door was a large bed with deep red sheets. Beside it, on the nightstand sat a phone and an alarm clock. The room also had a dressing table, with a large mirror above it, a dresser, and on that dresser a T.V. and DVD/VCP combo. Hermione was instantly impressed with the layout. It was fashionable, and yet very comfortable. When she closed the door behind her, she noticed a mirror on the back. After surveying herself in it, she decided she looked fine in the low-rise jeans and peasant top she had chosen. She had managed to tame her hair into a manageable ponytail. And for once in what seemed like years to her, she looked normal.

Hermione sighed and sat on the bed. She had been keeping herself busy today in order to avoid thinking about what she had seen the night before. But now, in this plush room, alone, she could no longer keep the disturbing thoughts out of her head. Silent tears streaked down her face and she thought about her family. None of them deserved what had happened. Jennifer, he older sister, had just gotten her degree in psychology. She was supposed to start her own practice soon. And Amy, gods, AMY. She was going to be starting school this year. She had been so proud of herself, ready to go and learn, just like her aunt. And her parents were just finally beginning to move on after the death of Hermione's other sibling, Gavin. Gavin had died in a car accident during Hermione's seventh year, and now she had lost the rest of her family. She was truly alone in the world now, and nothing was ever going to change that.

She broke out of her reverie when she heard a soft knock on the door. Quickly rubbing her face dry, she got off the bed and walked slowly to the door. Tom stood outside, leaning on the wall across the hall (looking incredibly smashing in an all black outfit including a wife beater, casual slacks, and a black casual jacket). He looked up and smiled when she opened the door and stood up straight. Tom offered her his arm.

"Ready for dinner, my dear?" She nods and smiled softly, before taking his arm and letting him lead her to the kitchen. On the table sat a heavenly smelling Italian meal. Hermione gaped at all the food, before looking between the table and Tom, and then back again. Tom smirked, and pulled out her chair, in which she sat, still not saying anything.

"I hope you like Italian. I wasn't sure what you liked, so I just took a wild guess." Which was a total lie. Tom had spoken to the stubborn Italian, Blaise Zabini, an ex boyfriend of Hermione's, and prisoner of his. Blaise had let slip that Hermione loved Italian. The fool. Hermione nodded to him and looked down at the table. 'hmmm,' Tom thought, 'This is going to be harder then I thought.'

So, for the rest of the meal, he forced small talk, trying to coax a response out of her. The most he got was a yes or no when needed. He was beginning to get frustrated. He may be a very patient man, but even he had his limits. After dinner, he stood up and started clearing the dishes from the table. He was stopped by a small hand resting on his.

"Um, why don't I do dishes? After all, you cooked. This is the least I can do." Hermione smile uncertainly at him, and returned it. Tom shook his head.

"Sorry, love. I can't do that. But tell you what. If you really want to help, why don't we do the dishes together? We can talk and get to know each other a little better." Hermione looked intrigued by this prospect and nodded her consent. She removed her hand from his and helped him bring the dishes to the sink.

It turned out that he didn't have a dishwasher, so they had to do that by hand. Tom washed, while Hermone dried and placed then on the counter. Throughout this ordeal, Tom spoke of many things. Everything he said was light and casual, unimportant. When Hermione started taking part in the conversation, laughing and talking freely with him, he took a chance.

Hermione was actually enjoying washing the dishes. Tom, she found out, was a very enlightened individual, and was easy to talk to. She felt free while she was talking to him. That was, however, until she got a face of soap bubbles. As she sputtered and wiped them off, Tom chuckled good naturedly. He had been correct in assuming she'd take it jokingly. But then she had gotten her payback, do the same to him. Something he definitely wasn't expecting.

Tom was having a genuine time of messing around with her. He had never done so before, and doing it now was liberating. After she had retaliated, he had chased her through the flat with his hands full of bubbles, attempting to catch her so as to continue the bubble war. It wasn't until they got to his bedroom where she tired from her running and slowed just enough to allow him to tackle her. And that he did. She found herself faced down on his bed, with Tom Riddle pinning her down. He took advantage of her compromising position and shoved the bubbles up her shirt. She shrieked at the coolness on her back and jumped up, knocking the unsuspecting Tom to the floor. When Hermione was comfortable again, minus the bubbles, she looked down at Tom, who was sprawled across the floor with a shocked expression on his, and laughed. It started with a giggle, which soon turned into a full out laugh, which caused her to fall backward on the bed, shaking with mirth.

Tom glowered at her and jumped back on the bed, and tried to calm the shaking girl. He hadn't realized, however, that laughter was contagious and soon joined her in her laughter. When they finally calmed down, Tom looked at her with a genuine smile on his face.

"You know, Hermione, I've never had friends. And I have most definitely never laughed like that, and for no reason! I never realized life could be so…spontaneous." She smiled back and sat up on the bed. Tom followed suit, and the soon found themselves face to face, with their lips inches apart.

Hermione couldn't breath. Here was the Dark Lord, acting like a teenager, right in front of her. He was so close they could kiss, and that frightened Hermione. It frightened her that she wanted him to kiss her. After all, he was devastatingly handsome, and she could just imagine how well he tasted. She shook herself to rid her mind of those thoughts, and was about to get up from the bed, make her excuses, and scurry off in the direction of her room. Then Tom leaned in even closer and kissed her lightly. It was such a quick peck that Hermione doubted it had actually happened.

Tom stood up from the bed and offered her a hand. "Want to go and watch television for a bit? It's not late enough for bed, but I doubt there's very much else we can do for now." Hermione nodded, taking his proffered hand and followed him into the sitting room. He handed the remote and suggested she find something interesting to watch. "I don't watch television often, so how about you choose a show you like?"

She took the remote and started flipping through channels before landing on a show she really liked. "It's called Life Laundry," She explained, "Each week, they go to a different muggle's house and sort through their mess of belongings, getting rid of what they don't need, and organizing the things they do need, or want to keep. I always liked watching the transformation of the person and they get rid of their possession." Tom still looked confused at the idea of the show and just watched. It just happened that that day was the season premiere, so it was two hours (two homes) long. This meant that it wasn't over until nine o'clock.

Tom looked at Hermione sitting on the loveseat and realized she was asleep. He smiled softly, with only a little bit of evil in it, and picked her up. Bringing her to her bedroom, he placed her into the bed, and quietly exited the room after a muttered good night. He walked down the hall and into his room, where he got changed and retired to bed. However, as it was still early, he aly awake for a while and thought.

Hermone was beginning to unnerve him. He's never before wanted to act like a normal human being, and had never thought he'd keep some one around for something other then manipulation. Yet, her he was, actually beginning to feel like Hermoine mattered. That was preposterous, he knew, she didn't. But if things came to it, he wouldn't want her dead.

And the was the closest Tom Riddle had ever gotten to true affection. And it scared him.

**Yay. I updated. Aren't we so proud? I have no ideas for the next chapter right now, so if it takes even longer for me to get the next chapter up, that's why.**

**I am so sorry for the long delay in this chapter. I have four plot bunnies running around in my head right now, all of which dind't want me to write this, and write them instead.**

**And for those of you who think the story is progressing to fast, I swear it isn't. Tom has made a startling discovery, so he won't continue like this, now will he? That's much too predictable, and tha won't do for the Dark Lrd.**

**And the show they're watching? It's a real show, which I happen to like. It's on BBC (PBS for me) And I love watching it. If you get it on your television, I really suggest watching it.**

**And, as always, please review.**


	5. Chapter 5

Hey. I'm scaring myself. I promised my friend (goodoldpenutbutter) that if she reviewed, I'd update before midnight, and I plan to do just that. So, without further ado, here's to the delightful reviewers who put up with my stupidity!

TO!

CareBearErin 

I know, I thought of that too after I updated. I hope the recon work I did in this chapter fixes the problem. She's reacting in a way I feel I would react, so I hope it isn't too far fetched. And I KNOW what I want to do with Severus, but I don't think he'll come into play until later in the story. But he WILL make an appearance, I assure you. After all, I am an insane Severus fan. Also, I know a great site that discusses the, um, outcome, of HBP; so if you'd like the URL, please email me. --BEST THING ABOUT HBP-- It proved to all the doubters in the world that A) BLAISE IS MALE! And B) Serious main characters CAN, in fact, die. Thank you.

Moony'sMate 

-Bows- I hope it is as well. I tried to make it as realistic as possible, so bear with me if there are some facts that don't add up.

Hazelocean 

-Likes you already- Sweet, simple and to the point. I take it you liked the story? Lol. Well, I'm glad. And I did update. Almost just for you! HA! Lol –Evil, Maniacal Laughter-

So. I have a lot of free space here to talk all I want. And I'm not quite sure what I want to say. SO I'm just gonna sit it while I think.

-Thinks-

-Cricket-

-Cricket cricket-

He, well, I'm wasting space anyways, so here. Just go to the story.

Yeah, that's right, you heard me.

Keep walking.

No, don't turn around.

Keep it moving.

And while you're at it, read my other stories!

-Likes shamelessly promoting herself-

So, like, GO! –Giggles-

Hermione woke to bright streaming light coming through her open window. The birds urged her to greet the day, an urging she rather resented. She burrowed even more deeply into her rather comfy bed in an attempt to drown out the annoyingly cheerful birds.

That is, until she remembered her touch of claustrophobia and flung back the sheets within seconds, gasping for air. And, of course, the sun nearly blinded her. Muttering curses to the annoyingly bright sign of day, she stood up and quickly crossed to the window, slamming it shut, and pulling the curtains tight. Breathing a sigh of relief, she returned to her bed ready and willing to slip back into sleeps gentle graces.

Only to find she couldn't. Now Hermione was in an even worse mood then before. Not only had birds rudely awoken her, but now she couldn't return to her much wanted slumber. So she did all she could think to do, logically. She got up.

Hermione wasn't willingly awake at this, the ungodly hour of 10 AM. And, contrary to popular belief, she was NOT a morning person. She sighed, grab a robe from the closet, flung it on, picked out an outfit for the day then walked slowly down the hallway to the bathroom, where she took a nice, delightfully hot shower. Unfortunately, as usually is the case, she did not get a blissful shower. No, instead Hermione was plagued with stupid reminders of the day before. And felt rather sick.

She didn't know what got into her when she was playing around with Tom. That shouldn't have happened, and she felt quite ill over it. She nearly scrubbed her skin off in an attempted to rid herself of the dirty feeling she got at the mere memory of the night before. Hermione couldn't, no, wouldn't, allow herself to have fun like that. Especially with the Dark Lord. After all, just a day ago one of his servants had brutally raped her, and more of them had destroyed her family. There was no way she was to be won over so easily.

She must have dozed off, however, because the next thing she knew, she was suddenly being bombarded by freezing water. She shivered and stepped out of the shower, turning the water off and wrapping herself tightly in a large terra cotta towel. Hermione quickly dried herself off, and clothed quickly.

After leaving the bathroom, she hesitantly walked to the kitchen, where she smelt breakfast cooking. She really didn't want to see Tom at all, but felt she had no choice, considering the fact that her stomach was revolting against her and attempting to drag her towards the delicious smells.

Hermione approached the kitchen cautiously, and entered rather slowly, as if afraid he'd pounce on her if she moved to quickly. However, the kitchen had other plans. Breakfast sat on the table, held warm by potholders placed strategically. And the kitchen itself was empty of any Dark Lords. She sighed, relieved, and picked up the notes he'd left on the table. It read:

-Hermione,

I hate to do this to you, but I have to work. I won't be back

until late, so don't expect me for lunch or dinner. I don't

suggest you wait up, either. I'll you in the morning. Oh, and

I spoke to my lady neighbor down the hall about any music

She thought you might like. There is a pile of CDs on the couch.

I hope you like the artists I got.

Tom

p.s. There should be enough food in the fridge for you to

make whatever you want for lunch and dinner. And if you

prefer to order in, there's some money on the stereo and a

phonebook on the coffee table.-

Despite herself, Hermione was touched by his thoughtfulness. He was, in her opinion, turning out to have much better manners then Harry and Ron combined, Dark Lord or not. They would never do the dishes for her, or make sure she was comfortable. Sure, she could take care of herself, but it was nice to be doted on every once in a while, right?

She gasped at the slight resentful feelings toward her best friends. She didn't understand where they came from, and was slightly afraid of them. Hermione loved her best friends dearly and knew they did all they though possible to help her. But they were guys, so unintentional idiots, something that was most definitely not their faults. She tried to calm the odd feelings, but it wouldn't work. 

Giving up, she sat down and contemplated the food in front of her. It would have been easy to poison it, her logical side reasoned.

But, her hungry side countered, it wouldn't help him much to kill her, then there'd a body to get rid of.

Her logical, and slightly paranoid, side would have none of that. Yes, but he's a DARK LORD, he has his ways.

In the end, her hungry side won, stating simply: If he poisoned it, at least we won't die hungry.

And that was the end of that.

Hermione thoroughly enjoyed the food. It was warm still, and perfectly made. She ate it quickly, but not so quick that she reminded herself of Ron. She finished it in a record time, however, then cleaned up the mess she had made. After her guess and go of trying to find where the plates went, she went to the living room.

She found easily where everything he'd mentioned in his note was. The CDs were spread on one of the two couches, the phonebook lay on the coffee table, and there, on the stereo, lay about 50 pounds. She snorted slightly at that. In her opinion, he was trying to hard to keep up this charade of a muggle life. But then, she wasn't sure.

WAS it a charade? It was hard to tell with this guy. There were so many sides to him, so many secrets she probably had no chance of ever knowing. There was something definitely evil about him. She didn't know what, exactly, but she could feel it in her very bones. But there was also…what? A, sweetness, sort of? Like the innocent sweetness of a child who was being showered with the love he had always deserved, but never quite was given.

She decided not to worry about it. She would just get a headache from thinking about it. Hermione curled up on the couch that held the CDs, and started examining the covers. And snorted again. Most of the artists were American, and some were definitely not what she'd call music. Like the Eminem and Britney Spears CDs. Yeah, right. There were, however, so good CDs in the mix so she decided to listen to them. She pulled out Kelly Clarkson's 'Breakaway' CD and put it in the stereo, turning it to song four, Gone, and placing it on repeat.

-------

What you see's not what you get  
With you there's just no measurement  
No way to tell what's real from what isn't there  
Your eyes they sparkle  
That's all changed into lies that drop like acid rain  
You washed away the best of me  
You don't care

-------

She quickly retrieved one of the books he'd gotten her the day before, Phantom, by Susan Kay. Phantom is an expansion of the popular musical turned movie, The Phantom of the Opera, and tells the story behind the story. Hermione had always liked that book, and found it particularly enthralling now. She returned to her curled position on the couch, where she stayed, reading, until her stomach prompted her off the comfortable couch and on the prowl for food. It was about 3 PM, and she was surprisingly hungry.

Hermione did a quick tally of the food in the fridge, and decided on just a light salad. Now enough to fill her up, but enough to quiet the incessant rumbling going on it her stomach. It was then that the absurdity of the situation hit her and she broke out laughing hysterically. Here she was, in the flat of THE Tom Marvolo Riddle, letting her stomach rule her, and yet still worrying about eating all his food. She wiped her eyes clear of her hysterical tears and calmed down slightly. The one situation she had never anticipated being in….

She cleared her mind and quickly tossed the salad together, with tomatoes, carrot peelings, croutons, and a light olive oil dressing she had always been partial to. Hermione brought her salad into the living room, singing along to the song.

------

You know you did it  
I'm gone  
To find someone to live for  
In this world  
There's no light at the end of the tunnel tonight  
Just a bridge that I gotta burn  
You're wrong  
If you think you can walk right through my door  
That is just so you  
Coming back when I've finally moved on  
I'm already gone

------

The salad was particularly good, and she marveled at the freshness of the lettuce. Which, again, reached her as a ridiculous thing to marvel over, and snorted into the salad, causing herself to choke slightly. She didn't understand why she was so hysterical today, but she was, and it was rather disturbing.

The closest thing to a reason Hermione could find was that she was using the hilarity of her current situation to cover the pain she was still harboring after her rape and the catastrophic murder of her family. She decided that must be it, and continued read.

--------

Sometimes shattered  
Never open  
Nothing matters  
When you're broken  
That was me whenever I was with you  
Always ending  
Always over  
Back and forth, up and down like a roller coaster  
I am breaking  
That habit  
Today

--------

Hermione didn't know how she managed to do it, but she continued to read all the way to dinnertime. And her rumbling stomach again, sounded dinnertime. When contemplating what to have, she decided she had eaten nutritiously enough for the day, and decided to order a pizza. She used the phone book to find a pizza place close by, and called in a pizza. Realizing she had no idea where she was, she put the order for pick up, and soon set out to get the pizza.

When she had about 10 minutes before the pizza was supposed to be done, she left the building and made sure to write down the street and building number of the complex, then set out to get a cab.

She found one is about 5 minutes, and had a relatively anticlimactic ride to and from the pizza place. When Hermione returned to the complex and got upstairs to the flat Tom lived in, she realized with a jolt that she didn't have a key.

---------

You know you did it  
I'm gone  
To find someone to live for  
In this world  
There's no light at the end of the tunnel tonight  
Just a bridge that I gotta burn  
You're wrong  
If you think you can walk right through my door  
That is just so you  
Coming back when I've finally moved on  
I'm already gone

--------

She sighed deeply at her own stupidity and was about to just sit down and wait outside the flat when she remembered her wand. Hermione rejoiced when she pulled it out of her pocket, muttered a near silent 'Alohamora', and was able to enter the flat.

She flounced across the living room, placed the pizza on the coffee table, and opened it, and started eating and reading all over again. Halfway through the pizza she was full and left it on the table, planning on putting it away when she got up to go to bed. She was curled up in that damned comfortable couch when she managed to fall asleep around 10:30.

And that's how Tom found her at midnight, when he returned to the flat. Snuggled deeply into the couch, her head resting on the arm rest, and the throw pulled down around her. The pizza had long since gone cold, and her book had fallen from her hand to the floor when she fell asleep.

He smiled cruelly.

---------

There is nothing you can say  
Sorry doesn't cut it, babe  
Take the hint and walk away  
'Cause I'm gone  
Doesn't matter what you do  
It's what you did that's hurting you  
All I needed was the truth  
Now I'm gone

--------

'Just like a mudblood,' he thought snidely, moving to pick up the pizza box. He closed it and brought it into the kitchen and placed it in the fridge. 'Leaving all the work for some one else.'

Tom debated just leaving her there, on the couch, where she was sure to get a kink in her neck, but decided against it. Even though it would show her for falling asleep on a couch, he had to show the "Loving, repentant, Tom" to her, and that Tom would never leave some one on the couch like that.

So he picked her up and carried her slowly to her room, trying not to move awkwardly and jolt her awake. He got as far as her bed before he made a mistake. He stubbed his toe.

------

What you see's not what you get  
What you see's not what you get

You know you did it  
I'm gone  
To find someone to live for  
In this world  
There's no light at the end of the tunnel tonight  
Just a bridge that I gotta burn  
You're wrong

-------

His muffled curse was enough to wake her up, and she started thrashing in his arms as soon as her brain was functioning. He damn near dropped her when she happened to land a lucky fist on his nose. As soon as Tom got to the bed he dropped her unceremoniously on the bed and turned to the mirror, attempting to survey the damage done.

Hermione immediately felt awful when she saw her 'captor' had been Tom. She got up to see if she had hurt him, when he turned to face him. She immediately rushed to his side to see what she had done.

Which was nothing. Hermione felt slightly disappointed when she saw she had done absolutely nothing to Tom at all with her punch. But it didn't last long when he gave her a definite Slytherin Sneer, and turned to leave. Then her pride flared.

---------

If you think you can walk right through my door  
That is just so you  
Coming back when I've finally moved on  
I'm already gone  
I'm already gone  
Oh, I'm already gone, gone, gone, gone  
Already gone  
I'm gone

--------

"Thanks. You jerk." She called after his retreating form and slammed the door behind him. Hermione huffed and lean against the door. In her mind, this incident just showed that he wasn't a nice guy whatsoever.

Meanwhile in the Living Room, Tom was fuming over the audacity of that Mudblood. No matter if she was to be his prophesized bride, nothing gave her the right to do that.

He calmed down a little and reminded himself of the Dark Revel he'd just come from. Yes, t hose memories more then make up for her actions. All the females who were vying over his attention, each one wanting to be the next Bellatrix. All that young flesh…

But no. He hadn't been able to indulge, knowing that the scent would follow him home, and it was not something easily misconstrued. And he needed Hermione's trust. Badly. And he wasn't planning on destroying that trust until AFTER she was his forever.

YAY! A new chappie. And 8 pages long, too. I know it's basically a filler chapter, and I am even rather unimpressed with my own work, but I thought it had some humor bits that made up for the boring parts.

!RA!


	6. To the reviewers

To my Reviewers.

Ok, I know, I don't have a chapter to go with this, but please, everyone, do not report me. I just felt the overwhelming urge to respond to my reviewers, so here it is.

Waterfaerie05

Thanks plenty, dearest. That seems to be my problem these days: The proofreading. I just skim over the mistakes and don't really seem them most of the time.

CareBearErin

Merci beaucoup. I appreciate that you appreciated Hermione's hysterics. And I know the whole mudblood thing may seem odd, but he was coming from a Dark Revel, feeling rather bloodthirsty. Otherwise, he would have just been toying with her anyway.

Amy Lee

And I wanna say, right now, before I start, thank you. Thank you so much for your honesty. I much prefer the cruel honesty to the 'um, that's nice' that some people would have written.

About the rape, I really understand what you're saying, I really do. I, personally haven't been in that situation, and I was mainly doing her character around how my friend's sister reacted when she herself was raped. I did not see her a lot, so I only saw one side of how she acted, and I am going by that as I write. I mean no disrespect, and I'd rather rush upon a sharp dagger then offend anyone like that. Again, thanks for being honest, but courteous at the same time.

Issue two: I know they aren't canon, and I know the whole him having the whole apartment thing is odd, but Voldemort is a manipulative, calculating, tricky evil dude. (Sorry for the 'dude' part). He'll go to many lengths to make a charade seem real, even have an apartment to use as his home when he needs it. However, I would also like to point out that this is a fanfiction. It is up to the writer to decide how to write the characters. I have tried to keep them very much in character, but some things change over time, which is what happened here. In my story, two years have passed since the most recent book, and there is nothing to go on in the books as to how Hermione and Voldemort are to act after that period of time.

Issue 3: I agree completely. In fact, before I even got this review, I was going to stop and do just that: take a breath and edit immensely. Go into the detail I wanted, but didn't really find the right way to say. Please check back on the story sometimes after I update and let me know what you think then.

And again, which, I know, this is probably getting tiring, but thanks for your criticism. It really helped drive home the points I myself were starting to wonder about. And I really needed the criticism after so many 'wow, that's great!' reviews.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, the curtain falls. I am going to be doing some major editing on this story, so don't worry about any facts that are either lost, or just don't add up. There are some things that I flat out refuse to change, and others that are in dire need of change. So, au revoir, I shall see you all soon, hopefully.


	7. Goodbye

To everyone who reads my stories:

First off, thank you so much for those of you who have read and kept up with my stories. I really appreciate the support, and looking back on the reviews, my heart warms knowing that some of the best people in the world have read my stories. You have made writing worthwhile to me.

Now to the unpleasant part: I'm Sorry. I have reached a point in my life where I cannot justify writing anymore. I was confronted with the unpleasant reality that I am not that good of a writer, which has made me lose all faith is my stories that I have started. Because I have reached this place of disillusionment, I doubt I will be updating anytime soon. I AM, however, deciding to leave the stories up just in case that need arises later in time.

I am currently nearing my sixth anniversary on this website, and I can't help but marvel at the changes that have happened in that time. But, honestly, I can't believe I've been on the site long enough to see all the things change. Hell, I feel so old because I remember when no one had member IDs that were longer then six numbers (and we were the n00bs!)

I hope that everyone who is currently taking advantage of this site and everything that it offers always remember what a treasure it is. Not only do we all get the chance to stretch our creativity, but we also get the chance to be exposed to different writing styles, and (hopefully) learn better ways of writing, improving our grammar and structuring skills, and, above all, keeping our brains from turning to mush.

As a wise man once said, "With so many inventions and distractions in the world today, it's a marvel that anyone knows what a book is, or the purpose of such a relic. Soon the only books you will see shall be in glass boxes in museums, and all information we need will simply be transmitted to our brains." Let us all hope we can keep the world reading, and stay away from such a future. (Yuck!)

Anyways, now that I've gone on a tangent, I should wrap this up. Hopefully, this won't get my stories in trouble, because it isn't an "update". But, really, goodbye and thank you to everyone who has contributed to the learning experience that this website has presented me. (Now I'm getting teary-eyed!) Even though I do not plan on continuing any of my current stories, I AM almost finished with my final plot bunny, which is for Criminal Minds.

After that, I will REALLY be done. But I would love to keep in touch with any and all of the wonderful people I've gotten to know through this site. Feel free to email me at if you want to keep in touch; I'm planning on watching for any amazing updates from you amazing people!

Yours Always-

Shelby

(Writing As)  
Rogue Almighty

P.S.- Does anyone know why authors have that one their books? For example, "Nora Roberts, writing as J.D. Robb". Isn't that a little……waste of ink? I don't know, I just had to make a last comment about that. What can I say? It bothers me!


	8. Chapter 5 12

*sulks* I'm not sulking....*sniffles*  
So, I got a rather mean email from someone about my "goodbye" post. You have NO idea how angry I got over what was said! But the reason I got so upset was because I DO actually have an update for you guys, who have waited ever so patiently.  
Unfortunately, I'm having an issue with my Microsoft Word, which decided to expire, and now I can't access it. So, I decided to make a quick post and TRY to give an update, no matter how short it ends up being. Bear with me, I'm working with Notepad at the moment, so it's not going to be formatted in the least. *is disgusted* So....here's a brif update, and thanks again for reading!

((Dream State)  
Hermione was in a forest. Not her most creative dream, granted, but scary nonetheless. She could hear someone following her, and she knew she had to run. THe problem was, of course, where to run to? She didn't even know where she was! Nor did she have her wand...Her eyes darted to and fro across the ground, searching for a recognizable path, hoping against hope that she's be able to find her way out of the forest and back to Harry...

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" A blinding green flash enveloped her, and the next thing she was aware of were the hovering faces of Tom Riddle, Bellatrix Lestrange, and Lucius Malfoy. They were talking, but she could only make out snippets of words...

"--Still alive?! HOW??"

"...stuck in sleep. Maybe we won't have to--"

"Something has to be done. We must kill her and be done with-"

"..leave her for Potter to find?"

((End/Dream State))

Hermione woke up screaming and fighting hysterically against the hands holding her down against the bed. When she finally made the conscious effort to calm down and open her eyes, she found herself looking into the genuinely concerned eyes of one Tom Riddle. As soon as she stopped thrashing, he let go of her and shuffled as far from her as his seat on the bed allowed.

"You done screaming? I wasn't able to sleep through that horrid sound." Riddle tried, unsuccessfully, to sneer at her, but he only succeeded at looking as bone wear as Hermione felt. "Anyhow, I sort of wanted to...apologize for earlier. I don't know what came over me, but-"

"Whatever." Hermione quickly interjected, turning on her side with her back to him. "I don't care to hear anymore of your excuses. I promise to try to limit my nightmares for the rest of the night, but I can't guarantee they'll listen" Riddle inhaled sharply, as if to retort, but then seemed to rethink it before standing up sharply and stalking from the room. As soon as he had left, Hermione left out a heavy sigh and tried to calm her racing heartbeat.

Although she barely remembered the dream, she knew it was important somehow, like it explained everything that was going on in her life right now. She flopped back down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. One thing was for sure; she wasn't getting anymore sleep that night. 


End file.
